John a



(No Model.)

J. A. HIGGINS.

SHOE TREE. No. 319,412. Patented June 2, 1885.

' NlTED dramas JOHN A. mccINs,

PATENT @rrrcia OF MILFORD, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO JOSEPH M. ESTABROOK, OF SAME'FLAOE.

SHOE-TREE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No.319,i12, dated June 2, 1885.

Application filed January 17, 1865. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN A. HIGGINS, of Milford, county of Worcester, State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Shoe-Trees, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like letters on the drawings representing like parts.

This invention is an improvement on that class of tree represented in United States Patent No. 151,701, to which reference may be had, the object of the invention being to simplify the construction of the same'and facilitate the operation of placing a shoe upon and removing it from a tree, and that without, lia bility of blacking the foot of the tree and soiling the lining of the shoe.

In this invention the journal, center piece, and front of the leg are in one piece and of metal, the foot-piece being attached to the said part-s by a dovetailed block, whereby the said foot is permitted to slide with relation to the stationary center piece and front of the leg, so as to place the foot beyond the end of the back and center piece. The foot-piece has only a longitudinal movement when connected with the slotted center piece, and projects rigidly therefrom in the proper direction when drawn out, to thus enable the shoe to be applied thereto without grasping the foot by hand. Making the center piece and the front of the leg down to its junction with the footpiece integral, as described, besides lessening the number of parts and cost of fitting the same together, greatly strengthens the tree and enables it to be handled and operated more readily and conveniently than would be the case if the front piece were made separate and slid upon the center piece between the head of the journal and the foot-piece, and the foot-piece were connected with a separate slot in the front piece, as has been done.

Figure 1 shows a shoe-tree,partially broken out, embodying my invention, the foot being drawn out and held rigidly by the center piece preparatory to placing a shoe upon it, the dotted lines showing the said foot in its other extreme position; Fig. 2, a detail of the lower end of the center piece, to show the slot therein; Fig. 3, a section of the foot and block in the line at x, and Fig. 4a partial section of Fig. 1 on the dotted line as x.

The journal A, substantially as in the said patent, has cast with and forming part of it the front of the leg A, and the center piece, Aiis slotted, as shown in Fig. 2, at 3, for the reception of the dovetailed block or plate B, attached by screws at to the foot-piece O.

The center piece has shoulders 5, against which strike the projections 6 of the plate or block B when the foot is drawn out, as in full lines, Fig. 1, wherein it will be noticed that the upper end of the rear side of the foot-piece rests against the outer side of the center piece, thus retaining the foot-piece in operative position with relation to the said center piece or holding it rigidly, so as to permit a shoe to be applied to or to be taken from the said tree and foot-piece,and that without the necessity of the operator touching the foot-piece, thereby soiling it and the lining of the shoe thereafter applied to it.

The draw-rod D and its attached swiveled loop D are all as usual.

The center piece and front of the leg have attached to them the usual guides or wings, E,

which cover the junction between the center piece and the back piece, F, of the tree.

The inner lower end of the back piece is provided with a recess or chamber, in which is placed an inclined track,b connected therewith by screw 8. This track is embraced by a grooved projection, c of the draw-rod, so that as the latter is drawn out from the center piece, as usual, the said projection by its action upon the said track causes the lower end of the back piece to be moved outward or away from the center piece, thus filling and expanding the shoe, such movement of the draw-rod and back piece effecting the outward movement of the upper end of the back piece, such outward movement of the top of the back piece being, however, controlled and regulated by the position of the nut H, placed upon the threaded end of the check-stud G, attached directly to the center piece and extended through the forked upper end of the back piece.

The extent of outward movement of the back piece depends upon the shoe being treed.

It will be noticed that the projection 13 of arresting the outward movement of the footthe foot enters a slot in the stationary center piece and holding the latter rigidly in place, 15 piece, and not a slot in the extension of a slidthe foot-piece being adapted to be moved 1oning front piece connected with the center gitudinally upon the center piece Without 5 piece. moving the latter, all substantially as shown I claimv and described.

In a shoe-tree, the integral journal and front In testimony whereof Ihave signed my name 20 and slotted stationary center piece provided to this specification in the presence of two sub with shoulders 5, combined with the foot-piece scribing witnesses.

10 and its attached block B, entered into the slot i JOHN A. HIGGINS.

of the stationary center piece and provided Witnesses: with projections 6, to strike the said shoul- N. B. JOHNSON, ders 5 of the stationary center piece, thereby H. O. SCOTT. 

